Usain Bolt is in a class of his own as far and away the world’s top Olympic sprinter, but should he ever decide to make good on his boast to play in the NFL (it would have to be the Packers or Patriots, according to what he said in October of last year), he would have some competition for the league’s fastest man, believe it or not.
John Ross of the Cincinnati Bengals is far from a household name, but happens to represent the one man who could give Bolt a run for his money in the 40-yard dash.
Ross, a receiver who has caught just 49 balls over his three-year career, is the NFL’s fastest man ever according to his combine stats in the 40.
The former UW Huskies All-American and fourth-year pro broke the NFL record with a 4.22 time at the 2017 combine.
Watch Ross’ record-breaking run below:
The record unofficially went up in smoke when Usain Bolt himself, the nine-time gold medalist and “World’s Fastest Man,” tied in it 2019…Without wearing cleats (!):
Track stars who made an impact in the NFL
From the sprinter’s block to the field, many sprinters have had success on football’s greatest stage.
“Bullet” Bob Hayes:
A former Olympic gold medalist in the relay, Hayes was dubbed the “World’s Fastest Man” in 1964, and transitioned successfully to the NFL notching 71 career touchdown receptions.
Willie Gault:
Made the 1980 Olympic team that boycotted the games, and helped the U.S. set a relay team record in the 1983 World Championships. He danced ballet (!), was an alternate on the 1988 U.S. bobsled team and had a solid career averaging a hair under 20 yards per catch.
James Jett:
Al Davis was a big fan of having world class burners on the outside, and Jett was another one of them. He won an Olympic gold medal in 1988 for the U.S. relay team and averaged just over 17 yards per catch.
Eric Metcalf:
Competed against Carl Lewis in the long jump in the 1988 Olympic trials. Scored 55 all-purpose TDs in 13 seasons as one of the most electric return specialists ever.
The Legend of Deion Sanders’ Purported Sub-4.2 40
“I don’t even believe I stretched, you know why, because I never seen a cheetah stretch, before he gonna get his prey.”
According to Rich Eisen, the longtime ESPN host, Deion Sanders has said he previously ran a blazing fast 4.19 40-yard-dash.
In the video below, the story of one of Prime Time’s most legendary moments is recanted by Eisen, Nate Burleson, and Prime Time himself…One thing’s for sure, there will never be another one quite like Deion.
John Ross photo via NFL.com.
